inevitably tries it. that's monday night 9:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. we understand that this is likely to cause some political upset when we air it, but sometimes you've got to do that anyway. after all, it's for a good cause. that anyway. after all, it's for a good cause. first look is up next. right now on first look a me meetorite comes crashing to earth. the ship is in and passengers are finally on dry land. for the first time a minority in senate has blocked a president's cabinet nominee. this former san diego mayor has a $1 billion gambling problem. all that, plus president obama takes a closer look at preschool education. good morning. danger from space today. a falling meteorite, in russia, the trail was seen streaking

across the countsky east of mos. it caused explosion and damaged some buildings. at least three people have been hospitalized in serious conditions. most of the injuries were caused by broken glass. the meteorite may be connected with the asteroid closer to earth today. the asteroid called da-14 will zoom past us below the orbit of satellite. the closest approach in more than a century. it poses no danger to us. days-long ordeal has finally come to an end for the 4200 aboard the carnival cruise ship "triumph." nbc's mark potter is in mobile where he watched the ship come in.

mark, good morning, what did you hear from passengers coming off of that ship last night. >> reporter: the passengers said they're very glad to be off that ship and on terra firma. most said the living conditions, sanitary conditions, grew possibly worst and became unbearable. some said they were most worried, though, early on, at the time of the fire, because they just didn't know how bad it was. they weren't informed. they didn't know to the degree to which they with in danger and that scared many of them. many of the passengers that we talked to praised the crew members themselves for working hard to make the passengers as comfortable as possible. some passengers said they saw great acts of kindness. now, the cruise ship behind me arrived here at 10:15 p.m. it took about an hour to dock. the ceo of carnival went aboard

to apologize to the passengers. they then disembarked. many others got on buses that took them to either new orleans or they went directly to galveston where they could pick up their cars. as for the ship itself, it will be taken to an shipyard to be i value waited and investigation is under way as to what caused that fire. mara? >> mark potter, thanks so much for that. the white house said that it's a move that plays politics with the pentagon. senate republicans are blocking at least temporarily the nomination of chuck ha goal to be secretary of defense. first time that a defense secretary nominee has needed to clear 60 votes. it will further strain partisan. >> my expectation and my hope is

that chuck ha goal who richly deserves to get a vote on the floor on the gnat, will be con first as our defense secretary. this kind of politics, it's unfortunate, intrudes when i'm still presiding over a war in afghanistan. >> there are still questions outstanding. i believe that senators have the right to have those questions answered. >> some senators said they want to examine information regarding the u.s. consulate attack in benghazi. majority harry reid plans to bring it up at the end of the month. president obama again defended his administration's use of drones in the wear on terror. he did admit that the public should know about how the program works. >> what i think is absolutely true is that it's not sufficient

for citizens to just take my word for it that we're doing the right thing. >> a classified memo recently revealed u.s. citizens suspected of terrorism have been targets of drone strikes. today, a bail hearing for oscar pistorius, the olympic athlete and double amputee charged with murdering his girlfriend inside his upscale south african home, he arrived at court 24 hours after his arrest, he was taken into custody on thursday, after police said that he fatally shot his girlfriend reeva steenkamp four times. police have given few details about the case other than to say that steenkamp died of multiple gunshot wounds. billion-dollar bettor. the former mayor of san diego is in quite a financial hole and she'll repay $2 million that she

took from a charity and gambled away. her lawyers said that over the years the 66-year-old bet more than a billion dollars at casinos, squandering her entire fortune. now, here's your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. ann romney sent out a tweet with good news. lucky me, with craig and mary's new twins born today, i become a grandmother of 20. congratulations to them and to the happy grand parents. secretary of defense leon panetta is still on the job, attending ceremonies and waiting for members to confirm his successor chuck hagel. >> the second best valvalentine day present would be allow us to

get out of town. >> president obama went to georgia to promote his education agenda and spent some quality time with preschoolers. he was also thinking about valentine's day. >> i can't imagine a more romantic way to spend valentine's day. actually, michelle says hello. she made me promise that i would get back in time for our date tonight. that's important. that's important. i will got a gift. got the flowers. the flowers are a little easier because i got this rose garden. >> even with the children in georgia, the president still had washington grid lock on his mind. >> and that whole plane, with others, a trade that we could use more in washington.

maybe we need -- maybe we need to bring the teachers up. you know? every once in a while have some quiet time. time-out. >> that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. here's your weather with bill karins. good morning, everyone. what you can expect today and your weekend. a little storm to deal with, possibly up in new england. but first things first, travel trouble spots, florida, just rain. soggy morning commute in many spots especially traveling up i-95 on the east coast of florida. tampa to orlando should be okay. cold in the midwest. temperatures have take an nose-dive here. wind chills currently minus-three in minneapolis.

it will work its way to the eastern seaboard saturday and all day sunday for the east coast. here's the weather pattern that's going to induce the storm, it will help this storm form off the eastern seaboard. new hampshire and maine, heavy know, not looking for a blockbuster storm, enough to be nuisance to plow and shovel. 6 inches possible from boston northward. two to four for southern new england. temperatures will be a little borderline. the forecast for today, 50. east coast is warm today. but the cold air will arrive. we drop from the 60s to the 40s in atlanta as we go throughout your saturday. there's the light snow. that storm is gone by sunday. >> all right, as long as it moves away quickly. thank you so much, bill.

wall street was feeling the love on valentine's day. the big apple may be a little bit sweeter for pot smokers. plus, an angry mob protests the wedding of a woman marrying a convicted of murder. my insurance rates are probably gonna double. but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands?

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welcome back. here's some other stories making news this morning -- remains found in a charred california cabin has been identified as christopher dorner, the fugitive ex-cop that led the police on a week-long manhunt. beginning next month, suspects will be given a desk appearance rather than spending a night in jail for pot. same-sex marriage in illinois, state senators passed a bill legalizing. in oregon a same-sex spouse of a military member will be buried at a national cemetery.

it will will take place at williamette cemetery. a woman in argentina marries a man convicted of marrying her twin sister. her boyfriend at the time was convicted and is serving a 13-year prison sentence. who said that chewing gum in class would never get you anywhere. one artist in ukraine is making use of that talent, she uses the sticky substance to make portraits of celebrities. the gum is first chewed then separated into different colors and then heated in the microwave. over on wall street, it may not be smooth sailing for carnival, shares of the cruise ship fell in after-hours trading. cbs stock slipped after it was under analysisest'

estimates. the week's wheeling and dealing continues to roll high for heinz. sold to warren buffett. shares of anheuser busch inbev were higher after it changed its terms of its acquisition of the mexican brewer. in the wake of boeing's battery problems, air bus is scraping the same lithium ion batteries. tiffany and company failed a lawsuit against costco thursday saying that it falsely sold diamond ring under the tiffany name. well, women have made huge strides in the work place but they're still falling short when it comes to pay. women made only 81% compared to

their male counterparts. it was happy valentine 's the day for this couple, they collected a $217 million powerball jackpot. straight ahead -- kangaroos take over a golf tournament. and take a look at this amazing video from san diego. where sea world welcomed a new bundle of joy. you're watching today's "first look." to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals.

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and more taste in your bowl. it's the ideal way to start your heart healthy day. try post shredded wheat. this has been medifacts for post shredded wheat. from stranded ships at sea to watergate moments on land. let's take a look back at the week that was. a mississippi twister made for a stormy start to the week, a little rain couldn't stop the mardi gras parades. while over rome a bolt of lightning from sky. >> the pope is stepping down. >> popes can do that? i assume the papacy was a lifetime commitment liking be in the mob or a correspondent on 60 minutes. some other scary moments turned out to be fake. >> [ bleep ]. >> have reported the bodies of the dead are rising and

attacking the live zmrg nothing to fear at music's big night. stars rocked the red carpet. as for kate upton's swimsuit repeat, maybe pg. back in the land of the free, we gave the highest award to one of our bravest. who didn't go bananas for joe, the affenpinscher took the best in show. the president laid out his plans for the year. but the other side of the aisle was thirsting for attention as well. >> it would have been less awkward had he been wearing one of these on his head during his speech. >> valentine's day came and went. but no love for chuck hagel. >> i'm going to hit you and keep hitting you. absolutely. >> meanwhile, politics got rough

overseas live on tv. italians through citrus not fists. there was an acrobatic escape from an avalanche of snow. a high-speed chase ended in a chopper explosion 37. >> our own bill karins getting in on the action. turning to sports. overtime in college basketball. unranked minnesota got a thre three-pointer to take the lead over wisconsin. to golf down under, as kangaroos race across the golf course, how often do you see that? a new star jumps out to the australian ladies open. she's the youngest player to win on the lpga tour. and the daytona 500 on

february 24th will feature a car dedicated to the 26 victims of the shootings at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. the number 26 car driven by two-time daytona 500 winner, michael waltrip, also calls on fans to text donation to the newtown school's support fund. up ahead -- seth in showered in bling we'll explain. plus, are bruce willis' nine lives just about up with the new installment of the "die hard" franchis franchise? and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and launch your dreams. with an advanced degree inoking education from capellalp them university, full potential. you'll be better equipped to deal with today's issues and make an even greater impact. let's get started at capella.edu. you may be muddling through allergies.

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today, american airlines announced its $11 billion merger with u.s. airways to create the world's largest airline.

well, $11 billion and 5 if they want a set of headphones. this is interesting, scientists have discovered a species of fish that surround itself with other fish to make itself more attractive. >> all right, returning to one of our top stories, never in the history of this republic has a minority in the senate held up one of the president's cabinet members. i'm talking a about the delayed vote of chuck hagel to take over. joining me on the phone is bob franken. >> good morning. >> how did a minority in the senate succeed in pushing back this vote on hagel? >> as you know, the senate is in effect goffer earned by the minority. so, the minority can always exert its will, that's exactly what's happening here. number one.

number two, the republicans right now are looking for some revenge. they got beaten in the election. you have barack obama the president out there basically tap-dancing on them. being more assertive. this is the way for the republicans to say we're not going to be pat. >> could they be wrong about that, might this ultimately threaten the confirmation? >> this is going to be based on impressions of washington. i think there's a view if something is stalled it's not going to up then it's going down and the break that's coming up with the senate is a long time, if there's anything about hagel that might come out damaging to him this is the time. the senate for years has run the charade of comedy sometimes to watch people who hate each other refer to themselves as d distinguished senator.

even the senate is being c consumed by it. turning now to entertainment. something for everyone at the box office this weekend. the fifth installment in the "die hard" franchise should rake in the most cash despite terrible reviews. and nicholas sparks' safe haven will just that for female fans. and beautiful creatures. with the oscars just over a week ago, actresses are busy getting their gowns ready for the big night. this year's host seth macfarlane already has his clothes picked out. well, this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned.

"way too early" with guest host bill karins starts right now. ♪ the united states. ain't nothing better. >> we didn't have water. we didn't have showers for a while. we didn't have hot meals. >> it was like being in a floating porta-patty. just human waste everywhere. >> they had a sign "need medication." they ran out of their medications and their basic needs. >> what's the first thing that you're going to do? >>